Sandwell

Sandwell's population expanded in the 10 years leading up to 2011. At the same time there were changes in health, ethnicity and housing tenure.

The population reached nearly 310,000

In the decade leading up to the most recent census, the population of Sandwell increased by 8.9%, from just under 283,000 to 308,000.

The addition of about 25,000 people means this area's population increased at a similar rate to the overall population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Sandwell was home to, on average, 26 people per football pitch-sized piece of land. This made it the West Midlands' second-most densely-populated district.

Population density was higher than the average across the West Midlands

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the West Midlands, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Sandwell

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Sandwell remained 36 years.

This multi-cultural area had the third-lowest average age in the West Midlands and remained somewhat younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of just over 9,000 people between the ages of 20 and 29 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by just under 2,000.

About 14% of people in Sandwell are aged between 20 and 29 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, West Midlands and Sandwell by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Sandwell

The number of people in Sandwell that described themselves as Sikh increased from just over 19,000 in 2001 to just under 27,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 6.9% to 8.7% of the local population.

Across the West Midlands, the percentage of people from this religious group fell from 2.0% to 2.4%, while across England the percentage went from 0.7% to 0.8%.

The number of people in Sandwell that described themselves as Christian decreased from about 190,000 in 2001 to about 170,000 in 2011 (from 69% to 55%). The number of people who described themselves as having no religion increased from just over 29,000 to just under 58,000 (from 10% to 19%).

Just over 25,000 people (4.6%) said they were Muslim, up from about 13,000 in 2001 (8.2%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population who identified as Sikh in Sandwell increased by 1.9 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, West Midlands and Sandwell by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

Sandwell saw the West Midlands' largest fall in the proportion of households without children.

In 2011, just over one in two (54%) households in Sandwell had no children, compared with 57% in 2001. The percentage with at least one child increased from 32% to 34%.

Across the region, Birmingham saw the next largest decrease in the proportion of households without children (from 58% in 2001 to 56% in 2011).

The proportion of households without children was lower than across the West Midlands

Percentage of households without children across local authority areas in the West Midlands and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in rate of self-employment

The percentage of Sandwell residents that were self-employed increased from 4.5% to 6.0% between the last two censuses.

The proportion who said they were employed remained close to 51%, while the percentage of Sandwell residents that were unemployed increased from 5.3% to 7.3%.

The proportion of self-employed people increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the West Midlands (from 7.4% in 2001 to 8.5% in 2011). Across England, the proportion increased from 8.2% to 9.7%.

The rate of self-employment in Sandwell increased by 1.5 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Sandwell, the West Midlands and England that said they were self-employed, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

Sandwell saw the West Midlands' third-largest fall in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad.

In 2011, about 1 in 13 (7.7%) in Sandwell said their health was bad or very bad, compared with 12% in 2001. The percentage that perceived their health as good or very good increased from 63% to 77%.

Across the region, only Stoke-on-Trent (from 13% to 8.0%) and Wolverhampton (from 12% to 7.2%) saw a greater decrease in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

Every local authority area across the West Midlands saw a fall in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad, as the regional average fell from 9.7% to 6.1%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Sandwell decreased by 4.2 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Sandwell, the West Midlands and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

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Area report data

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